


If I Could Start The Day Again

by fyrbyrd



Category: The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Manipulation, Prison, Rape/Non-con Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:08:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29728113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fyrbyrd/pseuds/fyrbyrd
Summary: Blair is manipulated by a master and pays the price for it.
Relationships: Blair Sandburg/Original Male Character(s), Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	If I Could Start The Day Again

The phone was ringing as he came in the door. He quickly put down his backpack and dropped the keys into the basket and rushed to the phone. “Hello,” he answered

“Blair.”

“Oh hi, Natalie. I didn’t expect to hear from you...”

“Yeah, I know, but something’s come up, I need your help.”

“Oh... Kay.”

He took down the address she gave him and promised to be there in five minutes before he hung up. Once again he grabbed his backpack and keys and hurried back out. So much for getting some sleep that night/morning. It was already 3 am.

There was limited parking at the address he had been called to, so he had a bit of a walk to get there. He went into the apartment building, took the elevator to the fifth floor and found apartment 509. He knocked quietly considering the hour. The door opened immediately and he followed Natalie inside.

“So, what’s up,” he asked of her as he sat down in the living room.

“Oh God, Blair, I’m in trouble,” she said getting up and pacing back and forth from the couch she had taken.

“Tell me what kind of trouble,” he said watching her.

“Did you know that after we broke up, that I got together with Luke Halket?”

“The footballer?”

“Yeah. His father is the owner of Keystar Industries.”

“So, what is this all about?”

She stopped in front of him, “I think I had better show you. Follow me.”

He got up and followed her into the bedroom and into the ensuite. There on the floor lay the body of the huge footballer.

“Shit! What the hell happened?”

“We got into an argument about... about sex. He wanted it, I didn’t. I hit him.”

“Hit him, but he’s dead!”

She picked up a heavy football trophy, “I used this.”

“Shit.”

“Blair, I don’t know what to do. Dan Halket is a very powerful man. Luke is his only child – was. He won’t believe my story. He’ll blame it all on me and I have nothing, no one to help me. I couldn’t afford a lawyer. I’m going through the U on loans; I could never be a journalist if this is found out. God, what am I going to do!” her hands bashed at her head in frustration and fear.

Blair tried to calm her; he got her away from the bathroom and back into the living room. He sat her down and began to pace himself. “Does anyone else know you were going with Luke?”

“No, no one. I haven’t got any girlfriends to confide in. And we didn’t go out much.”

“Is there a way to link you to him or to here?”

“No, like I said we didn’t go out much, this is his place, we always met here.”

“Is there anything of yours here now?”

“No. I never left anything here.”

“Did you ever give him anything?”

“No, nothing.”

“Okay. Would anyone know you’ve been out tonight?”

“No.”

“Good. Go home; make sure you are not seen. I’ll take care of everything.”

“Oh thank you Blair, you are a life saver,” she said getting up quickly, grabbing her purse and rushing out of the apartment. Blair never saw her smile on the way out.

He sat on the couch and ran his hand through his hair. What the hell was he doing? Jim would kill him when he found out. ‘No if,’ Blair said to himself in his head. He got up and went to work.

First he found some gloves and put them on, then picked up some cleaning rags from the kitchen, he started in the living room, wiping everything that might have a print on it, which was just about everything. He did the same in the bedroom, the kitchen, and finally the bathroom after covering over the body so he would not be distracted by it. Then he vacuumed all the carpets and furniture, took the bag from the vacuum, as well as checking out the trash, shower, bath and sink holes for hair, all of which he bagged with the vacuum bag and trash to take with him. It was coming up to 7 am when he finished. He rested briefly on the couch, once again running his hand through his hair. Then slowly he got up and went to the door, checking out the hallway he left and hurried to the stairs, he could not afford to be seen in the elevator. Then he carefully made his way back to his car and headed home. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jim was eating breakfast when he got in. He was glad he had dumped the trash at the incinerator on his way in.

“Hey Jim,” he said as he moved to his bedroom.

“Chief. Hard night?”

“Yeah, I fell asleep in my office, thought I’d come home and get changed.”

“New gloves?”

“Ah, yeah,” he absently noticed he still had the gloves on he had used to clean Luke’s apartment with. “Gift from a girlfriend.”

Jim smiled and finished his breakfast, Blair got to his room and pulled the offending things off.

As he was changing he heard the phone ring. Jim answered.

“Simon. Yeah, what’s the address? Okay, I’ll head there now.” He hung up and tore the address off the pad.

“Hey Chief, I’ve got a case, you coming with me?”

“Sorry Jim, I have a class this morning.”

“Okay. I’ll catch you later.” Jim grabbed his coat and keys and left.

Blair sat down heavily on his bed, glad that Jim had not pressed about his all nighter at the office. He knew his heart would have sped up, might have when he asked about the gloves. He knew he couldn’t get away with lying to Jim and hoped he still would not have to.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jim entered the apartment where the forensics crew were hard at work. He found Simon in the bedroom on his cell phone finishing up a call.

“What have we got?” asked Jim.

“A dead footballer who happens to be the only son of a very rich industrialist, and an apartment that has been wiped clean of prints. And of course, no one has seen anything. The only thing forensics have come up with is a hair. Long, brown and curly, probably a girlfriend as we found it on the couch. Whoever did this knew what they were doing; there aren’t any prints on the doors and windows. The place was vacuumed and the vac was cleaned afterwards, trash was taken with the perp. They tell me even the food was wiped, not that there was much edible here anyway.”

“Then if that’s true, why was one hair left behind if it was such a thorough job?” said Jim.

“You’ve got a point, but that’s all we have. And I’ve just been warned that Dan Halket is about to make our lives miserable if we don’t find his son’s killer. Ah, can you check the place out; see if you can pick up anything? Where’s Sandburg?”

“Class. I’ll see if I can find anything.” Jim moved away from Simon, looking for anything with his enhanced abilities.

Simon found him a little later sitting on the couch as if in a zone.

“Oh shit.”

Jim shook his head, “What?”

“Oh nothing, you just looked out of it, you know...”

“I wasn’t zoning, it’s just... I am picking up something right here. Something familiar, yet I can’t place it.”

“Well, I have to get back to the office. Let me know if you come up with anything, I’ve got Rafe and Brown checking out all his girlfriends and team mates, maybe someone know who he was with last night.”

Jim nodded. He wished he could place what was bothering him, he wished Blair were there to help him. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The door to Simon’s office opened without warning and he looked up to see a large man barging his way past his people.

“Are you the one in charge?” the man demanded of Simon.

“I believe so,” he answered calmly.

“What are you doing about my son’s murder?’

“Your son?”

“Name’s Halket.”

“We are doing everything we can, Mr. Halket.”

“Doesn’t look like it.”

“My best detective is on the case. It’s only been a few hours since we started on it.”

“I want to know what you have every step of the way.”

“That is not the way we work, Mr. Halket. You will be informed of any relevant progress and that is all.”

“Not when I get to your boss. I want this bastard, and I want to make sure he pays for what he’s done to my boy.”

Halket stormed out, Simon had no doubt he would try to get to the Commissioner, but he believed he would hit the same brick wall.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blair sat in his room after Jim had left. He couldn’t believe what he had just done for an old girlfriend. His best friend was a cop! Why had he gone to her? He had cleaned the place out, there would be nothing of her to find there. Quickly he went to the bathroom and showered, he really did have a class to go to, so he had best not be late.

He tried his best to take his mind of what he had done and settled into his normal routine at the University. He attended his class, then went to his office to do some paperwork, then headed out to get something to eat.

“Blair,” he heard as he headed through the gardens outside his building.

He turned, “Natalie.”

“Is everything okay?” she asked, and he knew exactly what she was referring to.

“I think so, but I think you should really tell someone what happened. If it was an accident –“

“His father is already brewing up a storm over this. I’d be crucified. He has so much money there’s no way he’d let me get out of it...”

“But I’ve committed a crime here too, I’ve covered up evidence!”

“I can’t, okay. I just can’t. Look, I’ll talk later.” And she just walked away leaving him standing there.

He noticed that others were looking at him strangely so he hurried off to get his food, so he could get back to work.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blair was hurrying to the library when he saw a familiar car in the parking lot. It was Rafe’s; he figured his friend was there to investigate the murder. He wondered if they knew about Natalie yet.

At about the same time, Rafe and Brown were knocking at the room of Natalie Grey. 

She came to the door, “Yes, can I help you?”

Rafe showed her his badge, as did Brown behind him, “Detective Rafe, this is Detective Brown; we’d like to speak to you about Luke Halket.”

“Yes, he’s my boyfriend, is there something wrong?”

“I’m sorry to inform you, but he was found murdered in his apartment this morning.”

She did an excellent act of being shocked and had to sit down, “I was with him late last night, but he was okay when I left.”

“What time did you leave his place?”

“About 2am I think, I can’t be exact.”

“Can anyone corroborate this?”

“I don’t know if my roommate heard me come in, you’d have to ask her. But why would anyone want to hurt Luke?”

“We don’t know, that’s what we are trying to find out. Have the two of you had any fights lately?”

“Everyone has fights now and again. But things have been fine lately. I’ve only had disagreement with other people lately, not with Luke.”

“Oh, any of them relating to him?”

She deliberately lowered her eyes, “Not that I can think of. God, I just can’t believe this is happening...” She covered her face with her hands and leaned over.

“I think we have all we need for now, Ms Grey, we’ll get back to you if we need anything more,” said Rafe as he and Brown moved out of here apartment. 

“She was lying about that last question,” said Brown as they moved down to the car.

“Yeah, I know. But let’s get back and see what else has turned up, we can let Jim know about her and he can decide if it’s important, and whether or not we need to speak to her roommate,” continued Rafe.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later at the office they were discussing what they had learned. Rafe gave Jim what they had learned from the girlfriend and about her lying to them. 

“But she had blonde hair, Jim. Straight blonde hair and it was short. I saw a photo in her place and she had the same type of hair in it as well.”

“So it wasn’t her, unless she wore a wig or had an accomplice.” Jim said, “There are no other leads, so we’ll look into her alibi, and see if we can find out what she was trying to hide from us.” 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was late when Blair finally got home, and even as he was the phone was ringing, he quickly picked it up, “Hello.”

“Blair, oh God, Blair, I’m sorry to keep doing this to you, but… but-- it’s Halket, I think he’s on to me, I caught a flight to Seattle, but I think he’s got someone trailing me. I’m scared Blair, real scared. Will you come here and be with me, keep me safe from that monster.”

“Natalie, you don’t have to be scared… I made sure there was no trace of you at Luke’s place, how could he know it was you?”

“I don’t know, but I’m scared Blair. I don’t want to die. Please Blair, please come and be with me, please.”

Blair sighed, he knew this was wrong, what he had done was wrong, but what if Natalie was telling the truth, “Okay, give me the address I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He wrote down the address on a pad and ripped it off when he was finished. “All right, stay there, give me a couple of hours, I’ll be there as soon as possible.” He hung up. “What the hell have I gotten myself into? Jim is going to kill me.”

He hurried to his room and threw together a bag of clothes. He had work to do, but figured he might be able to get back before that. Then grabbing his coat and keys, rushed off.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Ellison,” bellowed Simon from his office when he knew that his detective had returned.

He entered the office, “Simon?”

“What is the latest on the case?”

“We’re getting nowhere fast.”

“And I’m about to add to that,” he said looking down at his desk. “I thought we had gone over this time and time again, Jim.”

Jim looked at him curiously, but didn’t say anything.

“Sandburg. I thought you had gotten him straightened out about how to act on a crime scene.”

“I don’t understand?”

“The hair, the only piece of evidence you had happens to belong to him. Back to square one, don’t you think?”

Jim was stunned; he barely nodded as he left Simon’s office. How could it be Blair’s, he had not been with Jim that morning. He moved back to his desk and sat down thinking it over. Blair had been at the university all day, the last he had seen him was that morning when he had come in after being out all night. He didn’t meet his eyes when they spoke. He had gloves… He turned to the file he had on Luke Halket, and looked for the picture they had of Natalie Grey. Was there something familiar about her?

At that moment Rafe and Brown came into the bullpen and moved over to Jim. They had heard about the hair. Neither of them looked happy about it. They saw him looking at the picture.

“Hey Jim,” began Brown, he seemed nervous about going on.

“Henry,” he looked up at him, “You’ve heard?”

“About the hair, yeah. We’ve also learned that Natalie had an argument recently about her choice of boyfriend, from a former… boyfriend. And as far as we can work out, her alibi is okay.”

“And the former boyfriends?”

“We haven’t questioned him yet, he wasn’t at the University. We thought he might be –home,” said Rafe quickly.

“I’ll take care of it.”

“But Jim –“

“You and I both know I went to the crime scene alone this morning. Now it’s late, go home. I’ll take care of it.”

Brown handed Jim the report they had and looking like whipped dogs, got out of there as fast as they could.

Jim grabbed his coat and the files and headed for home. Anyone in his path got out of his way upon seeing his face; they had seen an angry Jim Ellison before and knew to stay clear.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

The car was gone, there was on light on upstairs. Jim shut down his engine, grabbed the files and hurried up to the apartment. He knew before getting there that Blair was not there. Getting in he found Blair’s laptop and other work in Blair’s room, so he was not working late. Jim moved over to the phone wondering if there were any messages. He played what there was.

“Hey Blair, look its Nat, will you call me please.”

“Blair, I need to talk to you, call me please, I’m getting worried here.”

“It’s Nat, I’m going to bed, if you don’t call me, I’ll have to… (sigh) just call okay.”

The last call she sounded pissed Jim decided to go and see why.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jim stood knocking at the door. A bleary eyed blonde opened it slowly and it was on the chain. “Who the hell are you waking us up at this time of night?”

Jim showed his badge, “Detective Ellison. I need to speak with you.”

She shut the door took it off the chain and let him in. “Isn’t it a little late?”

“I need to know your relationship to Blair Sandburg.”

“Blair, he is a former boyfriend. He was before Luke. What’s this about? Have you found out who killed Luke yet, his dad’s been harassing me to find out what I know.”

“Did you have an argument with him recently about having Luke as a boyfriend?”

“Yeah, he thought I was being stupid going out with Luke. I didn’t think he was the jealous type. You don’t think he did it do you?”

“I hope not, thank you Ms. Grey. I’ll let you get back to bed.”

“Ah let me know… will you?” she asked as they got to the door. He merely nodded and left.

Once the door closed she leaned back against it and smiled. The phone began to ring, but she ignored it and went back to bed.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What do you mean you have no one here by that name? She called me from here a few hours ago, she told me she was staying here.”

“I’m sorry sir; we have no one of that name or by that description come in. I’ve been on the desk since five, was it earlier than that?”

“No,” said Blair annoyed. He grabbed for his cell phone and quickly dialed in a number. All he got was an answering machine. He decided against leaving a message. “Damn it, Nat, what are you doing to me?” He hung up and ran his hand over the stubble on his jaw nervously. He was beginning to feel that something was very, very wrong, and he was suddenly in the center of it all.

It was late, getting close to midnight, he was tired and he was sure he could not get a flight home now. He went back to the desk. “Do you have any rooms?”

“Yes sir.”

Blair checked in and went to the room. Feeling dirty he went straight for the shower. He looked at the phone before he tossed it on the bed, thinking that maybe he should call Jim. But what could he say? ‘Hi Jim, I think I’m being framed for murder? I walked right into it and I broke the law by tampering with evidence… God, I’ve helped frame myself!’

Having stripped while thinking those bad thoughts he immersed himself under the water. He leaned against the wall with his head down the water hitting his back. He knew he was in deep shit and he had no idea of how to get out of it apart from getting home in the morning and turning himself over to Jim.

Finishing up he sat on the bed in a hotel robe and stared at the floor. This would ruin his friendship… Hell, it would ruin his life! Why the hell had he let Natalie talk him into doing it? She must have killed him and not by accident either. He had walked right into her trap. She had betrayed him. Betrayed. He had betrayed his friendship with Jim just when everything seemed to be going fine. Jim trusted him. How the hell was he going to be able to prove that he was innocent of everything except cleaning up for Natalie? He fell back on the bed and watched the ceiling fan go round and round. Why the hell had he ever cared for such a bitch as her!

\------------------------------------------------------------------

Jim got home and went to the phone, he wondered where Blair was. Reluctantly he had put out an APB on Blair’s car. He was just about to try Blair’s cell when he noticed that something had been written on the pad used for the phone. He ran a pencil over the pad; it was faster than trying to feel the letters himself. Then he picked up the phone, “This is Ellison, I put out an APB earlier… try the airport, thanks.”

Jim looked like he wanted to thump something. Instead he dialed Blair’s cell number. He got the message that it was either out of range or had been turned off.

“You had better have a good explanation for this Chief.” Then he headed upstairs. By the time he came back down the phone rang again. “Ellison…. Thanks… No leave it there; I’ll make the arrangements tomorrow.” He hung up then he picked up and dialed again, “Simon… Yeah I know how late it is… Look, Sandburg wasn’t with me this morning.” There was silence for a few moments, then Jim listened. “If think he’s in Seattle, there was a hotel scribbled on the pad here at home. I’ll call to confirm. His car’s at the airport. Simon, everything’s pointing at him. I’m sure he did the apartment, the hair’s the evidence and as he knows me he knew what to do. Whether he is responsible for Halket or not – well we’ll have to wait and see. I’m going after him; I’ll take the first flight… But Simon… all right, by the book. I want to be the one to go and pick him up. Thanks Simon, I’ll see you first thing.”

Jim rubbed a hand over his face. He was angry. But there was nothing he could do now. He headed for the shower; he’d have to go out early in the morning.

\------------------------------------------------------------

Blair awoke to a knocking, he must have dozed off after he had gotten back into his clothes, and he opened the door.

“Blair Sandburg? Will you come with us please, you are under arrest.”

Blair stared at the two Seattle policemen, one had a hand on his gun, but he had not drawn it. He nodded, “Can I get my shoes and stuff?”

They let him, keeping a close eye on him; he couldn’t run on them there was only one door to the place. Blair had his bag packed quickly, then his shoes on. One of the cops approached him with his cuffs out. Blair put out his arms, “What’s the charge?” 

“You are being arrested on a charge of murder. You have the right to remain silent…”

Blair didn’t hear anymore. It wasn’t as if he had not been expecting it. He went along quietly, still having no idea how he was going to get himself out of this one, especially on his own.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He was being held for extradition on the charge of murdering Luke Halket. When he was told that someone was coming from Cascade to pick him up, he had the terrible feeling he knew who would be coming, and he wasn’t sure he could face him. What could he say? ‘Sorry Jim, I messed up big time, I covered up a crime, but it wasn’t me, I didn’t kill Luke, Natalie did.’ Sure he was going to be believed…

His thoughts turned to Natalie then, realizing that she had done this to him. That she had framed him and he had gone along with it. Why? What had he done to her, they broke up on good terms so it could not be fore revenge. All he had ever done afterwards was try to talk her out of a relationship with the footballer. Apart from his family’s money, he did not have a lot to offer her. He was by no means a champion footballer, he had won trophies sure, but he would never be NFL quality. She should be concentrating on her journalism like she wanted instead of chasing after him.

He sighed, it would have been better if he had not gotten her into his own life. Because he was surely ruined now. The University would drop his teaching fellowship, they might even kick him out of his course, he’d already caused them a little trouble and this was by no means little. Anyway he was sure to lose his subject, who also happened to be his best friend. That more than anything else hurt the most, losing Jim.

He had lost track of everything, so when the door to his cell was opened it was a surprise to learn that it was already early morning, and that his ride home was there to get him.

The twitch on Jim’s jaw was enough to tell Blair that Jim was beyond pissed. Added to that he was looking but not seeing, Blair knew that as another sign of anger. He knew better than to say anything, he’d be either ignored or yelled at, and he didn’t want that in the middle of this police station. As far as the guys in Seattle went, they didn’t know of their connection and Blair was not about to let them know either, that would be more than suicidal on his part.

He stood there as Jim signed all the paperwork and didn’t look up as he put his arms out for the cuffs Jim had ready for him. Once all was ready, Jim merely nodded to the officers in front of him, tugged on Blair so that he’d follow out to the taxi he had waiting to return to the airport, and left.

Anything Jim said to others was in monosyllables. He was tugged at mercilessly, but he did not complain. It wasn’t worth it. He knew where he stood in Jim’s eyes, and there was nothing he could do about it. Jim was not in the listening mood. Their partnership, their friendship was over and they both knew it. Blair just hoped that if he was able to clear himself that Jim might listen to him then. Blair sat through the taxi ride, then the plane ride with his head down, his entire being engulfed in a deep feeling of sadness for what he had lost. Totally numb that even he was reduced to nodding if he was asked anything.

He was shaking when he was dragged though the Cascade Police station and up to the 6th floor. Silence had followed him the moment they entered the place. It seemed everyone knew about him, another humiliation to follow them both, because it would be felt on both sides. Jim, because his partner ‘the hippy ride-along’ was now a suspected murderer on the case he had been assigned. And Blair, being dragged in by him for all to see. Disgust could be seen on a lot of the faces that were passed. He had never belonged there, so many had thought. Ellison had been an idiot to have ever trusted the kid.

“Jim,” called Simon from his office door. He’d been warned that Jim was on his way in with Blair.

Brown was soon beside them, “I’ll take him to the interview room Jim,” he said gently, “Come on Sandburg.”

Jim glared at Simon, but went when indicated, into Simon’s office.

“I let you go and pick him up, but I want Rafe and Brown to handle it from here,” began Simon, he put his hands up when Jim’s angry eyes lazered into him. “I’m sorry Jim; it’s got to be this way. We’re already getting some flack from the Mayor’s office that Blair is the main murder suspect.” That seemed to cool Jim down a little, he had not thought about the repercussions of Blair’s position. Not good. “So please back down and let them get on with it. Forensics are finished at your place, so you can go home. If another case comes in I will need you on it unless you want to take some time off.”

“No! Thank you Simon, I don’t want any time off. I’ll go home see what kind of a mess they’ve left for me.” His jaw was twitching again as he left, everyone in his path keeping well out of his way.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

Brown came into Simon’s office. “They’ve taken Blair down to holding. The only thing he told us is that we should check all his phone records, he is sure that they will clear him of the murder charge. He admitted to cleaning up Luke’s place using his knowledge of police procedures. He says he did not kill Luke, he accused that girl Natalie of doing it and asking for his help and that he went to Seattle to help her, that she was scared of Luke’s father.”

“Do it then.”

“Sir?”

“Look into Blair’s phone records, see if they will clear him, because from what I hear this morning, Natalie is said to be being comforted by Luke’s father in their time of grief. She’s of the belief that a spurned lover killed Luke out of jealousy, and his father believes every word.”

“Blair couldn’t have killed him, don’t you think, Simon?”

“I doesn’t matter what anyone thinks, if the evidence is against him, he’ll go down for it. So if you want to help him, find those records like he said.”

“Yes sir,” said Brown as he left.

Simon took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. This whole matter was turning into one huge mess. What had Blair been thinking when he covered up the crime scene? His phone rang, he listened, “Yes sir, he’s been brought in, he was found in Seattle and we extradited him here first thing this morning…. He says he’s innocent of the murder… Yes sir, I sent Ellison home, he’s off the case… Yes, I heard about Halket’s press conference, I’ll be watching it, yes sir, goodbye.” He took a deep breath, he needed a cigar now. Getting up and grabbing his coat he left his office. It was going to be another long day.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Dan Halket stood before the gathered press his arms around the young woman’s shoulders. “I am pleased the police have arrested someone over the murder of my son so quickly. I believed he has been formally charged and I will fight to make sure he is kept in police custody.”

“Miss Grey is it true that the man they arrested is a former boyfriend that you fought with recently?” asked one of the crowd.

“Yes, I’m afraid he is.”

“Look gentlemen leave her out of this. She will have to be a witness and I’m sure that everything will come out in the trail; I do not want to jeopardize that. So please leave us to our grief. I’ve lost a son and Miss Grey a fiancée. Thank you, that will be all.”

The reporters were not able to get any more questions in as the two were surrounded by bodyguards and swept away from them.

Jim turned off the TV as he went about tidying up after forensics had been in. The only things they had taken away were some of Blair’s clothes and the pair of gloves. As he tidied, Jim was also packing up Blair’s stuff. As far as he was concerned Blair’s occupation of his home was over, no matter what happened.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Blair sat in his holding cell. He had been formally charged with the murder of Luke Halket. The bail was so high, and for once he had no one that would post for him. Brown had told him that Jim had been told to distance himself from the case, and that he was very angry. Blair knew that. Brown also told him that he would be picking up his stuff from Jim’s and would store it for him. His car had been impounded after being picked up from the airport. So it was obvious that Jim was not about to help him. He could also look forward to no help from what few friends he had at the University, Dan Halket was a major sponsor and they would not want his killer—alleged killer – to get any help from anyone connected to it.

He was on his own, stitched up good, and probably on his way to hell. Dan Halket was pushing for a speedy trial, which would be a good thing, he’d like to have it over and done with. His only hope lay in his phone records, he hoped they would help him, help prove that he had not been the one at Luke’s. Well, not until later anyway. 

He tried not to think about the future. If he could not get out of this…. Then he would be going to prison. For murder, maximum security… Starkville… Man there had to be a way out, there had to be.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jim knew something was wrong when he came onto the floor. It wasn’t just the people looking at him to see if he was still angry, there was a… vibe. He got to his desk; Brown and Rafe were not there. He had seen Brown last night when he took Blair’s things away, but they had not spoken about the case. The blinds in Simon’s office were shut, as was his door. Something was up and he wished he knew what.

Everyone kept there distance. Jim wanted to know why, but he knew through using his senses that Simon’s office was empty. Then an old acquaintance from Vice just happened to be passing through.

“Hey Ellison, heard the news yet?” Jim glared at him. “You haven’t? That little hippy wannabe you got stuck with got Banks demoted. He’s been busted back and is gonna join us in Vice as a detective. That’s what he gets for hiring the little shitbag.”

Jim was stunned. He never even noticed when the guy left. When he did however, come to his senses, he went in search of his former boss, eventually finding him at home.

Simon wasn’t surprised to find Jim on his doorstep. “I guess you found out what happened.”

“How can you let them do this to you? I was the one that talked you into taking Sandburg on! How can you just sit there and let them walk all over you?”

“And what do I say to the Commissioner ? I took the kid on because he was helping my best detective who just happened to have these hyper senses to deal with. I’ll be fine Jim, with those fools in Vice I should be on my way back up in no time.”

Jim shook his head. Simon was sacrificing himself for his sake! “I’ll kill that little bastard if I ever get my hands on him. He has no right to ruin things for you like this. I hope he goes down for life.”

Simon was alarmed at the anger coming from Jim. “And what if he didn’t kill Halket?”

Jim laughed a short laugh, “All the evidence is against him, and he did that apartment over knowing I might get called in. He’s a traitorous little bastard that deserves everything he gets after losing you your job. I hope he rots in prison, I never want to see or hear from him again, as far as I am concerned he no longer exists.” With that Jim stormed off.

Simon watched him go. Sure he had lost his job because Halket had wanted at least a head for having Blair in the department, but he was not as angry as Jim was. He hoped those phone records helped Blair. He shuddered to think of the young man going to prison. Even if he weren’t a cop, he had worked with cops; he’d be on the same level as snitches. He’d made a big mistake, but ending up in Starkville was not something that Simon wanted Blair to go though.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rafe and Brown had gone to see Simon also a few days later. They had heard that Jim had been to see him, and they had heard that Blair was now persona non gratis as far as Jim was concerned. Jim had immersed himself in a new case on his own and that was all that mattered right now. So when they came with the phone records, Simon hoped it was good news.

“We did as you asked, and yes Blair made a few calls on his cell, and a few were received at the loft at the times he specified, but they were dead ends. All the calls came or went to a business number, to be specific, Halket Industries, and all went through the board, so we cannot trace where they ended up or whether they were routed somewhere else.”

Simon sighed, “I suppose you’ll have to turn that in. Looks like Sandburg hasn’t got a leg to stand on.”

“You don’t think he’s guilty,” said Brown quizzically.

“No I don’t. I think he’s being framed, and framed very well.”

“By who? The girl?”

“Most likely. She was very smart in getting Halket on her side. And with his lawyers Sandburg doesn’t stand a chance. Look, thanks guys. I suppose you’ll have a new boss in a few days. Keep up the good work and don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”

The pair nodded and left. Simon got up a while later, he needed to do something.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blair was in a cell by himself right at the end of the block. It seemed no one in the place cared for him, though some of the other prisoners had eyed him off sending shivers down his spine. Yet even they had seen the guards treating him as if he was the scum of the earth. So when he found Simon standing outside his cell he was more than surprised, because he had been told what had happened.

“Don’t look so surprised Kid. I come bearing bad news. The phone records all traced back to Keystar Industries, all of them. They can’t help you and Halket’s lawyers will crucify you.” Blair lowered his head with the shock news, his only hope was gone. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re being framed, but there’s not a damn thing I can do to help you.”

Blair nodded without raising his head.

“I’ve got to go, is there anyone I can contact for you?”

“No, there’s no one, thankfully my mother’s out of the country, and there’s no one… no one else.”

Simon nodded and walked away, there was nothing else he could do.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

True to his word, Halket had pushed for the quick trial and got it. Blair was made out as the jealous ex-lover, who had killed his rival by smashing in his head when his back was turned. The jury had easily been manipulated by Halket’s clever lawyers, and had brought in a guilty verdict.

Blair had remained quiet after his pleas of innocence were knocked down again and again. All the evidence pointed right at him, there was no way to fight it. He had been responsible for getting rid of anything else, it was his own fault. He’d well and truly participated in his own framing, though no one believed anyone other than himself had been in that apartment and killed Luke Halket. He’d tried to cover up his sin using skills he had learned in the police department, but in the end one hair had convicted him.

He shook as he stood for his sentencing. The lawyers had pushed for life seeing as the state did not have the death penalty. Halket had pushed through the media for that sentence. So when it came Blair collapsed. The media played it as from the burden of his guilt.

Throughout the trial only one person had sat there and watched it all. The media had quickly said it was out of revenge, but Simon had not been angry at Blair and telling them that would not have changed anything. He felt for the young man when he collapsed, but he was forced to walk away. He couldn’t watch them take him to his new home. Starkville Prison.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had taken a year and a half, but Simon Banks was glad to sit down in his previous office, back where he belonged. And he sat waiting; there was one person in particular he wanted to see. Of course he had another visitor beforehand.

The knock on the door came, “Enter.”

A woman entered, “Oh hello Captain Banks, I’m Megan Conner, on exchanged from Sydney Australia. I’m teamed up with –“

“Ellison,” he finished.

“Yes.”

“Where is he?”

“He went to the men’s room. I’m sure he’ll be along in a moment. He’s told me a lot about you sir. He was glad to learn that you got appointed when Finkleman didn’t work out. He did not get along with her at all.”

“I could imagine.”

“He said something about it being his fault that you got demoted in the first place. Is that true sir?”

“Not entirely his fault, no. But that’s in the past. How are you two getting along?”

“Well sir, he’s… well, like a robot sometimes. Gets the job done, sometimes a little roughly, he’s got a lot of anger bottled up inside him.”

“Yeah, that he has, that’s why he’s still here and not moving up the ladder.”

“I’ve heard he was betrayed by a civilian partner?”

Simon leveled his eyes on her; he did not want to bring this up now. And apparently she saw that in his eyes and backed down. Then both of them were interrupted as Jim entered.

“Simon.”

“Jim.”

“Glad you’re back.”

“So am I.”

“Good, Conner, are you coming I have a snitch to see.”

“Oh damn Ellison, you should have warned me I would have worn heels,” Simon heard as they left him.

So Jim had adapted to having partners again, he had tried to work solo, but that was not the way things worked. None of those partnered with him had stayed more than a few months though. The Australian had lasted the longest after Taggart. And it seemed she did not know much about what had happened nearly two years ago. He hoped none of that would haunt either of them. But of course, hope does not always bring good things.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Police Commissioner called Simon to his office. “I have a case I want you to handle even though I know you are not going to like it.”

“Sir?”

“It involves that news anchor, Natalie Grey, she’s just become the co-anchor for a national news show and she’s being harassed by a man she helped to put in prison. You might remember him; he lost you your job.”

“Sandburg.”

“Yes, well, he’s harassing her from the prison and her mentor would like it stopped. You should remember him too, Dan Halket. I want you to take the case because I do not want this going public and as you know all about it, you can put a stop to it.”

“What do you expect me to do about it?”

“His latest threats have been coming more often. The prison has not been able to prove it was him, he spent most of his first year in isolation and solitary.”

“What kind of threats?”

“That he can prove that she killed Halket’s son.”

“He tried that before, nothing came of it.”

“He’s harassing her. This amounts to blackmail. Put an end to it. Halket supports our department a great deal and you know it.”

Simon sighed heavily. He did not want to go through this again. “Yes sir. I’ll handle it.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Simon drove up to Starkville Prison. His last visit had not left pleasant memories of when Jim had gone in undercover. This visit would be no better. He had decided to do it himself, he knew Ellison would not, Blair was taboo with him. He was not looking forward to this at all.

He sat on the other side of the Plexiglas window a frail looking skeleton of a man with his long hair tied back severely, tied with a scrap of material, “Why you Simon? I knew they’d send someone, but not you.”

“I’m back as head of Major Crimes, blackmail is a major crime.”

“I didn’t kill him Simon. She knows I didn’t because she did and I cleaned it all up for her. Now look at her, a million dollar contact as co-anchor, she’s got it made while I rot in her place. She’s got it good while I spend most of my time in solitary because I was a ‘Cop’s bitch.’ She gets to sleep with whoever she wants while I have to give myself to anyone who wants me.” He raised his eyes to Simon’s. “I am guilty of helping to cover up the crime I am accused of, but I never killed anyone.”

“Without any evidence there can be no retrial.”

“I know that. But I also remember Natalie. If you push her far enough she’ll put her own foot in it and slip up. I have to keep the pressure up on her. I don’t know how much longer I can take this…” He lowered his head, trying to contain himself. “Do you know you are the only visitor I’ve ever had while here?”

“I’m sorry Blair, but you have to stop. I have my orders from the Commissioner; do you really want to be in more trouble than you already are?”

“So she still has Halket tied around her finger. What more trouble can I get into? I’m in for life remember? In for life…”

“I have to go Blair.”

His head shot up, “Please, pressure her, she’ll break, I know she will.”

“I’m sorry Blair. If I have another complaint I’ll have to take it up with the prison board.” He got up to leave. 

Blair stood up, his thin frame shaking as he beat his hands against the plexiglas, “Please Simon, help me!”

Simon kept going knowing that Blair was being dragged away by the guards and he was sure he could hear him crying.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Simon sat in his car; he needed some time to get his thoughts together. Coming to this prison had been bad enough, but to see the changes in that young man…

He slammed his hands down on his steering wheel in frustration. What the hell was he going to do? Even back during the trial there was something bothering him about it all. Blair had easily confessed to cleaning the place up which would explain his hair being there. He had gone out with Natalie Grey before the murder, and he had never struck him as the jealous type. Or violent for that matter. Sure he could lose his temper, but every one did that one time or another. 

He hadn’t believed Blair was guilty back then. Yes, he had done a lot of things very wrong, especially in dealing with Natalie Grey. Blair had stupidly tried to help her, probably played on fears about Halket’s very powerful father, and Simon had been a witness to that. She’d become a known figure since the crime, which had probably helped in her lucrative career. Could she be manipulative too? Could she have wound Halket around her finger? He’d have been great for her career.

How the hell was he going to figure out a way out of this mess? And save Blair. He closed his eyes, the sight of him returned to his inner vision. Prison had not been kind to him. He had pushed any thoughts of where Blair was going after the trial. He had his own survival to work on losing his position as Captain of Major Crimes. He didn’t want to think about that then, he hadn’t thought about it. In fact he had not thought about Sandburg at all after that.

‘Do you know you are the only visitor I’ve ever had while here?’ Blair’s words ran through his mind again.

He sighed heavily, started up his car and headed for home. Maybe he would look into this Natalie Grey and see what kind of a person she really was.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Small audiences were allowed to watch the live tapings of Natalie Grey’s show. It was a morning show in the morning Prime Time. Simon made sure to get into these a few times and when they were not on air he watched her. On the face of it she looked nice and sweet, the kind of person people liked, but he soon saw her condescending side. Anyone on the crew below her was treated like shit or as her personal slaves, and they knew they had to grin and bare it if they wanted to keep their jobs. She threw her relationship to Halket around on those who tried to stand up to her. He had taken a stake in the station she was on now, a very large stake. She almost made it seem as if she were having a personal relationship with the man. Simon however, knew the man was as straight laced as they came, devoted to the memory of his dead wife. He would never cheat on her. And Luke had been their only son, if anything; Natalie was like a daughter in his eyes and nothing else.

Simon returned to the office. It was time to send someone to see Natalie Grey, as part of the blackmailing case he had been handed. And he knew just the person for the job.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Natalie was in make up when her visitor arrived.

“Miss Grey, I’m here to talk to you about a blackmailing case you have reported to the police.”

“Oh yes I… That’s an unusual accent you have. English?”

“No I’m from Australia, on exchange from Sydney. I understand you have reported that you are being harassed by a prison inmate who killed your boyfriend.”

“Yes, little bastard. He’s trying to make people believe he didn’t do it. I mean all the evidence was against him. And he ran away for God’s sake, how more guilty can you get than that.”

“I read his interviews. He stated he went to Seattle because you wanted his protection from the murdered man’s father.”

Natalie rolled her eyes, “Yeah right. Dan and I are like that.” She held too fingers close together. “Why would I have been scared of the man who was going to be my father in law? Sandburg killed Luke out of jealousy, he couldn’t bare the thought that I had left him for Luke. And he just won’t give up on that either. He’s been calling me from the prison, my stupid assistants around here kept putting him through, damn idiots. I fire them as soon as they do, but he still gets through to me. I was assured that he would lose his phone privileges, but he still manages to get to me. I want the bastard out of my life for good. He should have gotten the death penalty, but we don’t have it here and… Dan is against it too.”

“The prison has not been able to prove he made the calls. He did have those privileges revoked; they believe there may be a cell phone they have not been able to find that he had gotten access to.”

“Huh. From what I hear that would cost him a lot. He’s probably had to whore himself to someone to get that. Little fucker never did have much money, always taking me out to cheap restaurants and those boring art house movies you could get into cheaply. I thought he was a Professor at the University when I went out with him; he was only a teaching fellow. I mean when I first saw him I thought he was gay, until he came onto me. Boy was that a big mistake. He killed my Luky. I’d have had a wonderful future with Luke. He was a footballer, big strong body, and a megarich father. Now look at me. I have to work on this news show to make a living… So does this mean my complaints are going to be dealt with?”

“That’s what I’ve been assigned to do. It would be better if you could record his next call, then we’d have evidence against him.”

“Urgh. That means I have to listen to his petty threats and rants again. Fine, I’ll try and get that for you. I never did get your name Officer?”

“Inspector. Inspector Megan Conner, Major Crimes.”

“Oh well… If you’ll excuse me I have to be on in ten minutes.”

Knowing she had been dismissed Megan left. Gladly so. “Bloody hell, what a bitch!”

\--------------------------------------------------------------

“Sir, I’ve never met this Blair Sandburg, she makes him out to be a cheap shabby little nothing. If he killed her boyfriend, then I’m the Queen of England.”

Simon stared at Megan as she gave her report to him. “He worked here with Ellison.”

“I figured that was why you sent me instead of Jim.”

“Jim felt betrayed and was angry that I took all the flack for letting Blair work here… I didn’t believe the kid was guilty back then, but there was nothing I could do. I admit that after the trial I forgot about him, I had a lot to deal with at work, my ex… Anyway, I can’t figure out a way to prove she did it. Blair dug his own grave by covering up the evidence as well as he did and she knew it.”

“She acts like a Princess, made me feel dirty after meeting her the way she treats people. And she uses Dan Halket like a shield to scare people with.”

“Blair seemed to think she could be broken under pressure, that’s why he has kept calling her.”

“She laughed about that, said he’d have to be paying a high price to get to an illegal phone.”

Simon nodded, that really was something he did not want to think about.

“I told her to make a copy of any calls she gets from him in the future, as you told me to. Won’t that hurt him instead of help him?”

“Yes, but I’m hoping he might stop. I don’t want him in any more trouble that he already is.”

“If only we could catch her out in the same way.”

They sat contemplating that for a while.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

However, Blair had other ideas; despite the cost to himself he called Natalie again. And she got a recording of it, making sure he was burying himself with the ‘threats’ he made.

She called to say she had a tape and reluctantly Simon called Megan go and collect it.

She was in the truck with Jim when Simon rang.

She sighed heavily after it. “Ah Jim, I have to pick up something from the National Studios. Could we make a quick stop there, I won’t take long to pick it up.”

Jim merely shrugged and turned to where she wanted to go. When she got out he spotted the coffee shop, so he got out and went to it. A few minutes later he opened the lid, and the aroma of the fresh coffee got to him. On the odd occasion his senses burst out of the containment he held them in and went out of control. First it was scent, the coffee was strong and overpowering, he closed his eyes and that seemed to set his hearing off, dialing up on its own. He cringed under the assault of voices and sounds… But he heard a word that had him zeroing in on one conversation.

“Sandburg’s dug his grave this time. Oh yes, the little shit has buried himself now the cops have a tape of his threats to me. I just handed it over. I’m sure I will never hear from him again, now all I need is for you to keep up your side of the bargain, and life will be fine for us…. Oh don’t worry, you’ll get your usual payment, but cross me and you’ll either wind up like him… or Luke.”

All of a sudden Jim’s senses came crashing back. He dropped the coffee to the ground and stood there staring at it.

“Jim. Jim. Ellison!” He jumped to see Megan Conner in front of him, looking at him in concern. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah I need – I need to see Simon.”

“I need to deliver this to him.” She held a small tape cassette in her hand.

He nodded and said nothing. She had no idea that he had just been shaken to the core. That he had learned a truth completely by accident that was turning his world upside-down.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

Megan seemed uncomfortable that Jim had followed her into Simon’s office. The man himself has raised an eyebrow at them. She held out the micro tape. “Isn’t there a way I could say I lost this in transit?”

“I wish,” answered Simon as he took it from her. ”Is there something you wanted Jim?”

“If you look into her financial records I think you will find that she is making payments to her former roommate.”

Simon’s mouth opened in shock. He had never expected anything like this again.

“Jim? Who’s financial records?”

“Natalie Grey’s.”

“Jim?” Simon asked not needing to go any further.

He nodded.

“Ah Megan can I speak to Jim alone a minute,” asked Simon.

“Oh… sure,” she didn’t know what was going on between them, some sort of silent communication was definitely happening. But she went anyway.

“And you know this how?” questioned Simon.

“When Conner went to get the tape something happened. Every once in a while these damn senses still go a little haywire, do what they want when they want. Well they did today, honed right in on Natalie Grey. Must have been after she handed that tape over to Conner. I heard her make a cell call, she was bragging about how she had stitched… Blair… up for good, and that if the other kept her mouth shut they’d both be better off and she’d make another payment to her.”

Simon was staring at Jim in shock. Blair was innocent! He sat up straight. “All this time he was telling the truth.”

“If I hadn’t been so angry at him for the betrayal… I might have seen it. But all I could see was that he had helped to cover up a crime. That he used his knowledge of me, of my senses against me. To me that was the ultimate betrayal… She’s damn good at manipulation, I have no doubt she must have used something against Blair to get him to help her. She’s tied Dan Halket around her finger too and she’s the one who actually killed his son.” Jim had not been looking at Simon the whole time.

“You said something about the ex-roommate?”

“Yeah, she’s being paid to keep her mouth shut. Probably a sweet deal on her part. We could scare her with accessory to murder I suppose.”

“We’ve got to get Blair out of that place; he doesn’t deserve to be there.” Simon saw Jim’s hand ball into a fist.

“We’ve got to find where her ex-roommate is.”

“Then get on with it Detective,” said Simon.

Jim looked at him then. Simon saw the determination there and perhaps just a hint of sadness.

\---------------------------------------

“Mrs. Jarre,” said Megan at the door of the house she and Jim had gone to.

“Yes?”

“You were formally Nicole Steele and you attended Rainer University?”

“Yes, what’s this about?” she said eyeing their badges.

Jim pushed in, “It’s about Natalie Grey and how she framed Blair Sandburg for the murder of Luke Halket.”

She backed away.

Megan looked at him crossly, “Ignore this drongo, he’s a little heavy handed sometimes.”

“Drongo?”

“Oh sorry, I’m Australian, it means idiot. Which can include you for letting Natalie pay you to keep quiet about what she did. And don’t deny it, we can get a hold of your financial records, I’m sure they’d match Natalie’s which we already have.”

Nicole backed away further and moved to sit on her couch. “My husband had some trouble with the immigration department. Natalie helped us with it and has been helping financially as well,” she saw Jim tense up. “All I had to do was keep quiet about that day. To keep my mouth shut.”

“She sent an innocent man to prison,” said Jim.

“I know I know,” she cried, “And he was a sweet guy, he’d never hurt a fly. But Natalie scared me when she said Luke’s father would have his lawyers tear me to pieces on the stand. She said if I said nothing I’d never have to go on the stand.”

“She told you recently that she had Sandburg because of his threats to her. She threatened to put you in jail or kill you like Luke. So don’t go on with any stories about your husband.”

Nicole was looking at him in shock, “How could you know?”

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that we do know,” Megan looked sidelong at Jim wondering how he had gotten that piece of information. “All we want right now is the truth. You will be protected. Once we have enough against her we are going to go to Halket. She is going to pay for what she has done.”

\-----------------------------------

Jim felt exhausted when he got home. He dropped his keys in the basket and put his coat on the hook, then made his way to the kitchen to grab a beer.

At first he sat at the table to drink, his eyes falling on the spare room. It had remained empty, he’d never even been back inside it since Simon and Henry had emptied it.

He got up and went to the door. He opened it slowly letting it open completely. There was a musty smell that had him wrinkling his nose. But it was nothing more that an empty room, it didn’t seem to even hold anything of its former resident. Just a bare empty room.

Jim pulled the door closed and moved to fall onto the couch. His life had been bare for the past two years as well. Bare and empty. There was a knock at the door. He got up and went to it. He opened it to find Simon there.

“Well, can I come in?” asked Simon when Jim just stood there.

Jim pulled back, “Oh yeah.”

Simon made his way to the couch Jim had just vacated and sat down.

“Coffee?”

“Beer would be better,” said Simon.

Jim went to the fridge and got two beers then went to sit opposite Simon.

“Is there something about the case –“

“You know I can’t remember the last time I saw you smile, Jim.”

Jim was confused.

“Rafe and Brown kept me updated on things at Major Crimes when I was at Vice. You stuck to yourself, no one wanted to partner with you, but you still got the job done so they didn’t want to lose you. You didn’t go on many dates either, the few you had never ended well… I was angry too, Jim, but there was always this niggle in my brain that said that things were not all right. I kind of knew Blair was innocent, but there was no proof to help him after he cleaned up the evidence himself at Halket’s place. Yeah, he was an idiot to do what he did. That was his biggest mistake, because it turned you away from him. I’m not wrong in thinking you’d have known if he were lying to you?”

“Yeah,” said Jim rubbing his eyes, “But I only saw him the once before I had to go and… arrest him.”

“He said she set that up too. She had him believing she had to run from Halket’s father, that she wanted his help. He went and fell right into her trap. You were so angry at him you couldn’t see anything straight, that’s why I took you off the case then. You didn’t speak a word on the trip back, did you?”

“No, not a word.”

“He knew he was in trouble and that he couldn’t turn to you because of what he’d done.”

Jim set his elbows on his knees and rubbed some more at his eyes. Why was he feeling so tired? “Why are we talking about this now Simon?”

“Because there is a good chance that we will be able to get Blair free. But… he’s not the same person he was when he went in. Jim, I saw him recently when I was told to stop him from harassing Natalie Grey. He looked… frail and he cried out to me when they took him away, he said he couldn’t last much longer in there.”

Jim sagged, his own horrible memories of Starkville Prison coming back to him. Memories of what happened in the dark that were amplified by his senses. He ran his hands through his hair. “It wasn’t just because of what he did that made me so angry at him,” said Jim, he rested his hands behind his bent neck. He just couldn’t say anymore.

“You loved him didn’t you?”

Jim closed his eyes, let his hands fall to his sides and nodded.

\-----------------------------------------------

Hours later Jim lay in his bed thinking about Simon’s visit. What would he do if Blair were freed? The kid had betrayed him in the cover up of the crime, true he might have followed his dick instead of his brain, but he had done it all the same. He could not forget the anger that Blair had cleaned up the place so as to throw Jim off the track of a major crime. Used what he knew against Jim! Even now he could feel that anger rising again. He could not forgive Blair for that. 

He turned over in his bed and punched his pillow into submission. He did not want to think about all this again. Why did Simon have to come over and stir things up like this, simply because the kid was probably going to get out of prison? Why did Simon force him to admit that he had loved the kid? Maybe if he’d have made a move on him, he might not have gotten himself into this trouble.

That was the rub. If he had have told Blair that he was in love with him would the kid have chosen a different way. Would he have turned his back on Natalie? Would he have betrayed him? 

These thoughts kept chasing around and around his mind, until eventually he did succumb to sleep.

\------------------------------------------------

It was s bright sparkly day. The kind of day where you were glad to have your senses alive. And for a sentinel, that was even better. He stood on the balcony letting it all be absorbed into his body, behind him the door opened and his companion entered.

“Hey Jim, beautiful day isn’t it?”

“The best,” he answered turning around to gaze at the wondrous creature before him. Damn, but he was beautiful! An aura of the purest light seemed to surround him.

Jim moved forward.

“Ah Jim, you okay?”

“I’m perfect. But there was something I wanted to tell you.”

“Uh huh?”

He was standing before the other looking down into those beautiful blue eyes. He brought his hand up and put them on each side of the smaller man’s face. “I want to go to bed with you.”

“Really, but I thought…”

“That I was straight? I never said I was, actually I’m Bi. The question is, are you?”

“Bi?” The eyes lit up and that megawatt smile appeared. “Most definitely.”

Jim leaned down, his eyes closing as his lips came into contact with the other lips. He felt the other’s hand on his hands, rubbing gently as the kiss deepened, his tongue pushing its way inside the other. His groin taking a healthy interest in what he was doing. He pulled back. “Care to take this upstairs?”

The other had his eyes still closed his tongue licking his lips and the smile still on his face, “Hmmmmm.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He took his hands from the other’s face, then took his hand and began to lead him up the stairs, stopping occasionally to devour those lips again and again. The bulge in his pants growing, making them tighter.

As they reached the top of the stairs, he maneuvered his partner backwards towards the bed, until he fell back onto it laughing as he fell. Jim reached for the other’s jeans and undid the belt, fly and zipper, then pushing his fingers under the top of them and the boxers, pulling them down in one swift movement. They caught at the boots which Jim just as quickly pulled from the feet along with the socks, before the jeans were stripped away and tossed to the floor. Jim smiled at the half hard cock nestled in the dark curls. But he wanted him naked.

“Sit up,” he demanded. The other smiled as he raised himself, his own hands pushing the jacket from his shoulders, and then the shirt following. Jim grabbed them and tossed them from the bed, but his own hands went for the t-shirt, which he helped pull over the other’s head. Now except for a necklace, he was naked. He lay down on the bed watching Jim as he pulled back and began to undress himself. But he was deliberately making it slow while he took in the slim body just waiting for him on the bed. 

Slowly the blue shirt joined the other clothes on the floor, then the white t-shirt was oh so slowly drawn over his head, showing the well sculptured body beneath. The naked cock jerked fully into life. Jim smiled at the reaction he got, then he slid his hands down to his fly, carefully unbuttoning it, then easing down the zipper, which was harder than normal because of his own erection wanting to be free. He eased the jeans down, kicking of his own shoes as they went down. He lifted one leg, slid the cloth off, and along with it his sock. Then the other leg followed. He stood there in dark blue briefs, fully tented, a bead of moisture darkening them more.

Jim moved closer to the bed, to the bedside table and removed something from the drawer. Then he hooked his fingers under the briefs and stripped them so fast all the other saw was the cock bouncing before his eyes which seemed to go so large he’d make any anime artist proud.

The other was wiggling on the bed as Jim moved to kneel on it and crawl up, arms and legs on either side of him, until he was face to face. Then once more he leaned down and took the lush lips with his own, pushing inside to tongue wrestle with the other. He felt hands running though his hair before there was a sharp gasp that pulled them both apart with a cry of intense pleasure. Somewhere along the way the two cocks touched, igniting the passion between them. 

Jim looked down at the suddenly dilated eyes, the heaving of the other’s chest as he rode the waves that ran though him. He lowered his mouth to that chest and nipped at a nipple, eliciting more cries, and his hair was pulled at by the hands still in it. The arched back urged him to continue until the nipple was a hard little pebble to his tongue; he pulled up and moved over to the other to give it the same treatment, getting the same reactions, only with the other’s head thrashing from side to side as he mewled pleasure sounds that were music to Jim’s sensitive ears.

Once the nipple had had enough attention, he began to slow kiss his way down the flat stomach making it ripple and writhe as he did so, down to the hip bone and a slow slid down until his tongue met the hairline. Gently he pushed at the legs beneath him, which parted to allow his own inside, then he lowered his head again the sniff at the curls and make the other buck. He put a hand on a hip to still him, then lowered his mouth, tongue pushing out to lick at the very tip of the dripping cock. He lapped it up and tasted it, growling in pleasure at the taste of the other man. He went back for more, taking the head into his mouth. Swirling his tongue around it, pushing into the slit reveling in the sounds coming from above, the hands fallen from his hair to grasp at the sheets of the bed. Jim was having a hard time holding the hips down as the other wanted to buck into his mouth seeking more of the warmth. Jim allowed it, letting it slide in and out pushing down his throat further and further, until he was sucking hard, constricting on the cock, forcing the other the cum with a cry. He lapped it all up. Releasing the now flaccid organ, he pulled back to look down at the other lying there breathing hard, his eyes closed, completely relaxed and sated.

But there was an ache between Jim’s legs that was not. He picked up the tube he had recovered earlier, slicked his fingers and moved his hand to the small puckered entrance circling, teasing, pushing the index finger inside to stretch. The other began to writhe; raising his legs at the knees tilting up to give further access, wanting more of the stimulation the finger was giving him. A second finger joined the first pushing inside, scissoring and stretching him further. He enjoyed watching the reactions as they came, all from the power of his touch. The third finger had joined the others and he pushed deeper inside seeking to find the small nub which he knew would bring an even greater reaction. Find it, he did, and the other bucked up and cried out, clutching hard at the sheets, bunching them into his hands as if to hold on with all his worth.

Jim did this a few times, pleased to see the other’s cock begin to stir with interest. But his own need was pushing him on, he parted the legs further, crawling closer to the body, as his fingers slipped out and he grabbed the tube once more to slick his own hard leaking cock. He lifted the other’s buttocks with his hands, positioning himself before he began to push inside the readied entrance. There was slight resistance at first and same moans of pain that soon subsided the more he pushed himself in, until he was sheathed to the hilt. He allowed a small amount of time for the other to adjust to him before he pulled back to the head of his cock, then plunged back in again, repeating over and over. His hands had moved to the other’s hips and he had hooked his own legs around Jim’s waist. He found himself grunting as he thrust, the other’s hands had left their death grip on the sheets to clutch at his arms, not hard, rubbing and squeezing as his head rolled from side to side, moans and groans of pleasure emitting from his throat. Jim found himself speeding up pushing harder and angling a bit to try and catch that spot he had touched on earlier. The almost strangled cry of the other and the harder squeeze of his legs across his back, told him that he had found it. He struck it a few more times, getting the same reactions. He was pushing harder and faster, his body wanting the pleasure it was receiving, the other was clutching at his arms tighter until he heard a cry and looked down to see the other’s cock release. The other’s body was then squeezing him and drawing him over the edge until he too released with a hard cry, spilling himself deeply inside. Then…..

Jim rose up from his bed into a seated position, he rubbed at the sweat that covered his face, and he felt, his entire body. He also noticed the wetness of his boxer shorts, knowing that he had come in his sleep as a result of the dream he had just had. He got up to strip himself and his bed, taking everything downstairs where he also decided to have a shower. The one thing that was echoing through his mind was the word he had cried as he came. Blair.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

She was led into a plush office in Keystar Industries. Despite the early hour, the man himself was already there working. He got to his feet and moved around his desk, his hand extended, “Ah, you are the one that has been assigned to Natalie’s harassment case?”

“Yes sir, I was.”

“Was?” Megan was motioned to a seat and Halket sat opposite her. 

“Yes, I’m afraid the case has taken a turn. Sir, we have proof that your son was killed by his girlfriend, Natalie Grey.”

“Oh no, don’t be ridiculous. They proved that my son was killed by that hippie. Natalie could not hurt a fly.”

“She paid off her ex-roommate to keep quiet about her movements on the night your son was killed, that she fooled Blair into helping her cover up the crime, and frame himself.”

“No, there is no truth to what you are saying,” he said standing, “Now I want you to leave my office. Natalie has been a daughter to me, she did not kill my son.”

“I only came to let you know what was happening Mr. Halket. We are taking what we have to the District Attorney, I expect he will be persuaded by the evidence of her guilt that we have to provide.”

“Evidence? What could you have?”

“Financial records, proving she paid Nicole Jarre to stay quiet, and Nicole’s confession of staying quiet about the truth.”

Halket was still shaking his head. “No, no. This can’t be. She couldn’t have, it had to be that jealous hippie. It had to be.”

Megan saw that the man was confused and he had moved away from her. There was nothing more she could do there, she wanted to find out how the others were doing with the District Attorney.

\----------------------------------------------------------- 

Jim awoke to loud knocking at his door. He pulled the eye cover from his face and squinted in the bright light. He took a look at the clock beside the bed and noticed that he had slept in. He hadn’t done that in a long time.

The pounding came again, and he got out of bed, glad that he had put on a clean pair of boxers after that dream, went to the door. He opened it to find Megan standing there. She looked him over, “Nice boxers.”

“I’ve been told that before,” he said letting her inside. “You being my late call today?”

She smiled, “I thought you were perfect at everything. Since when do you sleep in?”

“Simon came over last night. Told me about the case.”

“Yeah well, things have not worked out quite the way we were hoping.”

“What?”

Megan walked over to the TV and picked up the remote to turn it on. A news report was playing. 

Natalie Grey was wrapped in her coat as he left the National Studios building. Reporters surrounded her as she pulled her sunglasses further down and the collar of her coat higher up. “I have no comment. Look no comment. Let me out of here I have done nothing.” But they would not let her get away. She was finding it hard to get to the limo waiting for her. “I am no blackmailer, I didn’t kill Luke. No one can prove anything like that because they imprisoned the one who did. Now let me go.” 

She made it through them and into the car which sped away. The car headed for Keystar Industries. However, Dan Halket was not there. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

Blair limped into the visitor’s room wondering who it could be this time. The second visitor he’d had since he’d been there. But even with half his face bruised and swollen, he could not be more surprised at who he faced this time. He sat down staring at the man across from him, the man seemed shocked by his appearance.

“Blair Sandburg?”

“They wouldn’t bring anyone else out for you to see Mr. Halket.”

“You remember me?”

“You were in the courtroom every day. You wanted to make sure someone paid for your son’s death, didn’t matter if they were innocent or not.”

“You seem to have paid for something recently. Don’t the guards stop things like this happening?”

Blair smiled sadly, “Get real man. Not enough of them to go around, I’ve had much worse anyway.” The man in front of him turned white. “Even you could not recognize me, could you?”

Halket shook himself out of it though, “I didn’t come here for this. I want you to convince me, and only me, that you did not kill my son.”

This time Blair stared at the man and cocked his head to the side. This he was not expecting. “You must have heard me at the trial. Everything I said was the truth. I thought I was helping Natalie because she was scared of you. Look, she is a master manipulator, all she ever wanted to do was be a reporter, and she got all that. I can’t prove to you that I didn’t kill your son. I cleaned up any evidence that would have helped me, she knew I knew how to do that, she knew I worked with the police and used that against me. She used you against me. I was convenient to her and she used me. I didn’t love her, in fact I betrayed someone I loved to help her…”

Halket was still staring at him. He could see the toll the place had taken on the young man. And he knew a little of Natalie’s manipulations, having seen, and felt, some of them. He knew how she wanted people to believe that she meant everything to him. Perhaps she had filled a void when he had lost his son, but what if she were really the one responsible for his death?

“I want to know the truth. If I could get you of here and you were willing to wear a wire, would you get the truth from her?”

Blair’s mouth fell open, but he answered easily, “Yes, anything.”

“But if you cannot you will be back here and you will never leave, I would make sure of that.”

Blair nodded.   
\------------------------------------------------

“Oh Dan I’ve been everywhere looking for you. I came here twice today and you wouldn’t take my calls, what’s going on? You don’t believe any of this drivel do you? Dan… Dan?”

When the seat behind the big desk would not turn around, she went closer. Then she jumped back with a cry when the seat suddenly turned to face her and the one in the seat was not Dan Halket, but a vastly changed Blair Sandburg.

“What’s the matter Natalie? Not the one you were expecting? Sorry, Dan’s had to step out for a while, and me, I thought I’d make myself comfortable here seeing as I have no where else to go.”

She turned and hurried to the door but it would not open for her. She leaned back against it and looked back at Blair. “How did you get out? There’s no way they’d let you out unless they had someone else to blame for Luke’s murder.”

“But there is someone else to blame for Luke’s murder, and I think that they are finally going to catch up with her.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You were put away for it Blair and there’s no one else to blame.”

“Then why are they hounding you Natalie? Why are they beginning to question whether or not I did do what you framed me for? What, did you really think you would get away with it? Did you think that paying Nicole off forever would keep her quiet? That I would stop trying to get out of there?”

“I’ve already got away with it, idiot. All this will come to nothing. Dan will help me, like he did before. There is absolutely no way they could prove that I killed Luke. You played right into my hands, Blair. You know, I never really liked you, it’s just that someone said you were cute, and maybe you were for a while, but you never stopped talking about your cop friend, did you know that? I always thought you wanted to be with him more than you wanted to be with me. You made it so easy for me to use you because of that too. What’s the matter, you miss him that much that you escaped? I’ll give him a call and tell him where to find you if you want. Then he can lock you up again like he did before. That was the most fun I had back then, finding out that they had sent him to bring you back when I sent you to Seattle. Pissed him off didn’t you? I bet he hates your guts for all the trouble you brought him,” she was smiling widely when she could see her words having the effect that she wanted on Blair. 

“That’ll be enough,” said Dan coming through the door. “I think you’ve ruined his life enough Natalie, as well as my own.”

“Oh Dan, I found him here in your office, he must have escaped, you’ve got to call the police.”

“Thank you Mr. Sandburg. You have gotten the truth for me and I will make sure that you are freed as soon as possible. The guards outside will escort you to Police headquarters, you’ll be needed there. I’ll be along shortly.”

Blair slowly got to his feet, despite the fact that he knew things would get a little better for him, he didn’t show it. He only nodded at Halket as he passed the man by, a few tears sliding down his cheeks.

“Dan?” asked Natalie, “What’s happening?”

“What is happening young lady, is that now I know the truth. Now I know exactly who killed my son.” He turned and looked at her harshly, “You are very good at manipulating people, but then you always wanted to be a journalist and they will go to lengths to get what they want. What happened with Luke? He didn’t give you enough attention, things? When he spoke to me about you it was like he was describing a princess. But you are nothing like a princess; you are the evil step sister. And two young men have been destroyed because of you. I’m glad I learned about it now before it was too late for that young man there, because if I had to live with his death as well as my son’s… God, I hope you suffer as much as he has when they put you away for what you did.” There were tears in his eyes, “Get out. Just get out of my sight.”

Natalie knew there was no way she could talk him around her way, so she hurried over to the door only to find some police officers there. She still didn’t know that all that she had said had been recorded, that she had given herself away.

Dan Halket wanted to collapse into his chair and mourn for his son again. Mourn the fact that his killer had been free so long and that he had in fact befriended her like a foolish old man. But he had things to get cleared up, he had to pull himself together and make sure that she paid for what she had done to his son and to Blair Sandburg.

\------------------------------------------------------

Jim had been sitting at his desk when he suddenly sat up straight and looked as though he was listening for something. But it also seemed to be confusing him.

“Jim? Jim?” he finally heard Megan speaking to him.

“Huh? What?”

“Are you all right? It looked like you zoned out just then.”

“Zoned out? I ah, thought I heard something. I’m okay,” but he wasn’t sure what had set him off, his hearing had not gone on line or anything, he just had a feeling…

She sat back at her desk and they both went back to work.

\------------------------------------------------------

A few hours later Simon came to his door and called Jim into his office. He had him sit.

“Jim, I’ve just had a call from homicide. It seems that they had charged Natalie Grey with the murder of Luke Halket.”

“What? But how, I thought the case was at a standstill again.”

“Dan Halket handed in a recording of her admitting to doing it. It seems he had several witnesses to the recording, very strong witnesses including his own lawyers. She even admitted to using Sandburg to get away with it. In fact a judge ordered his release from prison on that evidence.”

“He’s free?”

“As a bird.”

Jim sat there blinking. “He was here, wasn’t he? That’s what I felt.”

“Jim?”

“I gotta go Simon,” and he was out of the door before Simon could say anything more.

Megan jumped to her feet as she watched her partner hurry to the elevators, “Jim!” But he was too fast for her. She saw Simon emerge from his office. “What’s up?”

“Sandburg’s been set free.”

She smiled, “Do you think he’ll catch up to him?”

“What?”

“Well, I’d go after someone I loved too, no matter what they did.”

They both looked at the long gone elevator.

\---------------------------------------------------

Jim had learned that Blair had been taken back to the prison because despite everything, there was paperwork that had to be done and it could only be done at the prison. He would be able to pick up his meager belongings and then he could sign out and leave the place a free man.

Despite his feelings about the place, he hurried in to see if he could catch up with Blair. But even as he went through the door, he knew that he was not there. He asked after him anyway, he’d missed him by half an hour. Leaving the place he looked out as if he could use his senses to find him, but nothing happened.

\----------------------------------------------------

Jim sat in the courtroom and watched as Natalie Grey was convicted of the murder of Luke Halket. They had all hoped that Blair would turn up for the trial, but he didn’t. Jim was surprised to hear the tape when it was played. Natalie was such a bitch to have thrown all that at him, they really didn’t have to play all that in court. Jim knew he’d have to get out of there by some other way or the reporters would want to talk to him. He sat in the court when the rest had left and soon found a presence beside him. He looked up to find that it was Dan Halket. 

“You have to understand that Natalie was very, very good at getting people to do things for her. If she saw a way to get around something she would, if she saw a way to use something to her benefit, she would. I know this from experience, she used me well, played me like a puppet and I believed her. Maybe your friend betrayed you, but he was caught up in her web as well. You heard her gloat about what she did. He told me he betrayed someone he loved to help her.” Halket got to his feet. “Come I’ll get you out of here. I’ve made my apologies to Mr. Banks; I hope you’ll accept them from me as well.”

He held out his hand to Jim and he accepted it, allowing the man to draw him to his feet. They moved out of the courtroom and through the chambers behind where the judges had their offices. At the door Halket’s limo was waiting and he moved to get inside. “I hope that you can forgive him, he went through a lot of pain he didn’t deserve. He would not have lasted much longer in there. Tell him I’m sorry when you see him will you? I didn’t get a chance to say much to him when he got the recording for me.”

Jim nodded then Halket got into the car and drove away. Jim watched until he was gone, then moved off, glad that he had escaped the reporters.

Later that day he sat in the loft drinking a bottle of beer. He’d had to sneak into his own place to avoid the ravenous reporters. They had learned that he was the cop friend referred to by Natalie. They had hoped that he might know where Blair was, because it seemed that he had disappeared. But Jim did not know where he had gone. No one had seen him since he had left the prison. He had vanished without a trace. Perhaps if he had his senses back online…

Jim shook his head. There was nothing he could do. He thought ironically that even if he did, Blair would know how to avoid him, how to mess him up so that he could not be found. Just as he had… before.

\-----------------------------------

Megan picked up the ringing phone on Jim’s desk. The person on the other side was after Jim of course and she could not persuade them to tell her what they had to tell her partner.

Jim lifted the phone away from her ear and took over his call.

“Detective James Ellison?”

“That would be me.”

“Oh good, sir, I’m Doctor Reynolds calling from the Raleigh General hospital. I have a patient here that had your name as one of his next of kin. As I was not able to contact the other I have called you.”

“Raleigh? I have no relatives there.”

“Well, my patient was involved in a fatal head-on car accident, he was the only survivor, but even now is only holding on by a thread. His name is Blair Sandburg, seems he was hitching a ride in the back of a pick up which had an out of control car hit it. Four other people died, he was thrown clear. I have no other person to contact but you.”

When the doctor had said the name he had not heard for a year and a half, Jim was stunned. He sat down heavily in his seat, causing Megan to wonder what could be wrong.

“Detective, are you still there? I need to get consent for an operation to relive the pressure on his brain and it appears that you are it as his next of kin.”

“Ah, oh yeah, then do it.”

“Would you like me to call you and let you know how it goes?”

“Ah, yeah okay.”

“Thank you detective I have to go.”

Jim put down the phone.

“Jim. Are you all right? You’ve gone pale.”

“Ah, it’s… Sandburg… He’s been in an accident. They called me because I was down as his next of kin.”

“Doesn’t he have a mother?”

“She is always hard to get a hold of.”

“Accident? What kind of accident?”

“Car. Head on, he was thrown from the back of a pick up. They have to operate to relieve pressure on his brain.”

“Shit. Well now we know where he is… Are you going to –“

She didn’t finish her sentence, but Jim knew what she was hinting at.

“I don’t know,” he answered and clammed up after that. He sat at his desk wondering about that himself. What was he going to do? 

It seemed that word of what had happened had gotten around the station. Megan of course had not stayed quiet about what she had learned. Nearly everyone who went passed Jim’s desk seemed too look at him and wonder what he was going to do too.

When he finally became aware of what was going on around him, he started glaring at those who looked at him. That had the immediate effect of scaring everyone off. The old Ellison death glare had never been a thing of the past and they all knew when not to get in his way, especially when he was pissed off.

He turned to get up and saw Simon look out from his office, before he too ducked back out of the way. Jim went over and knocked before abruptly entering. Simon had only just gotten into his seat. 

“So I expect you’ve heard,” said Jim.

“What are you planning? Or are you just going to forget about him? From what I can tell he has not had a very good life since leaving you, what with prison and all.”

“You’ve known where he was?”

“I didn’t say that. His name has come up a few times for vagrancy. He may have gotten a pardon, but records still state that he spent time in prison, by the time anyone gets past that they don’t realize he had been pardoned before sending out for more information. So far he has not been charged. But it seems his past is getting in the way of any type of future. Still, if he’s at death’s door—“

“The doctor said he was hanging on. They had to operate for pressure on his brain.”

“Jim, hasn’t he paid enough for what he did? Or are you going to punish him forever for being stupid. He hasn’t got anyone else, who knows where his flaky mother is, or even if she ever found out that he was released from prison.”

Jim signed and ran a hand though his thinning hair. “All right, I’ll go there and see what’s going on.”

Simon smiled, “You’ve got plenty of leave owing. Let me know will you?”

Jim nodded, “Sure Simon.” He left the office to see Megan holding out his coat for him. He gave her a sarcastic sneer.

“See you Jim.”

He walked out of the building aware that many eyes were on his back as he did so. He drove home to put a bag together and book a flight. Getting one he drove off to the airport. He played the radio as he was driving along, a track by Nickleback was playing, “Far Away.” and he shook his head at it.

He parked the truck and caught his flight to Raleigh. He was tired, but decided to go to the hospital and find out how Blair was. He walked into reception and asked for him and was sent to the ICU ward. He asked to see Blair but found that he was listed as to have no visitors but immediate family. Jim tried to explain that he was the next of kin, but it seemed they had no record of it. He asked then after Dr. Reynolds.

“He’s in surgery at the moment; he should be out in about half an hour.”

“I’ll wait. Can I ask how Sandburg is?”

“He’s still listed as in critical condition.”

Jim nodded and sat down to wait. He realized that since breaking up with Sandburg this had been the first time he had been to a hospital since.

Almost an hour later he was nudged by a doctor. “Detective Ellison? I’m Dr Reynolds. I didn’t think you were going to come out here.”

“Really?”

“Well, judging by Mr. Sandburg’s condition, I mean prior to the accident, I assumed he was a vagrant. I’m surprised he didn’t break any more bones than he did, but then he was rugged up in a couple of dirty blankets the paramedics told me. That’s why I was surprised that he survived.”

“I haven’t seen him for a long time. He left Cascade with nothing but a pardon from prison. He was wrongly serving time for murder. He was released when they found the real murderer, but it seems the stigma stayed with him.”

The doctor nodded, “Oh I see. His condition improved a little after the operation, but he’s in a coma. I don’t know how it will go, we just have to wait and see.”

Jim nodded. “I’m going to find a hotel I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“I’ll make sure that you can get in to see him if you want.”

“Thank you,” said Jim and he picked up his bag and moved off. 

He had a taxi take him to a nearby motel and he settled in for the night making a quick call home to let Simon know the situation. Then he lay on the bed to think about what was going on. Why had he let them all pressure him into coming out there? Had they pressured him? Simon telling him about the vagrancy thing, and then the doctor adding to that, it was what Blair had chosen after he had been released, what more did any of them expect? He made his mistake and was paying for it. Then why had he come there? Was it because of those times he sat alone in the loft thinking about how he hated being alone? How he had not been on a single date for years and the only times had had gone out was with the rest of the unit?

Blair had betrayed him damnit! He’d used his knowledge of Jim against him. He covered up a crime… and gotten himself ensnared for it. Beaten up…raped. Idiot!

And Jim had been in love with him. Damn that bloody song anyway.

Somehow he got to sleep and headed for the hospital, this time he was allowed to go and see Blair. The first thing that got to Jim was the huge bandage around his head. They’d shaved his hair off. Jim smiled for a second; Sandburg would be pissed to know that. Then he noticed how thin he was, almost skeletal. His skin was darkened and weathered; he probably spent a lot of time out of doors since the prison. There were tubes everywhere and the heart monitor beeped, at least it was a steady rhythm and he was on a ventilator. He didn’t stay long, there was no real point at the moment so he retreated and went to see what if there was anything the doctor had to say. All he got was an answer of no change. He hated hospital seats, but he sat down and closed his eyes.

A week went by the same way. He hated hospital seats, he hated hospital food, he hated hospital coffee. He got funny looks from some because he never flirted with the nurses. They all knew he was a cop and they all knew Blair was a vagrant, but that was all they knew.

Jim was dozing in his seat when a nurse nudged him. “Jim,” they all knew him by name, “He’s coming out of the coma, they’re extubating him now.”

Jim sat up with a start and stood. He knew they wouldn’t let him in yet, but at least this was an improvement. It was half an hour before Dr Reynolds came out.

“Mr. Sandburg showed signs of waking and we extubated him. He’s still unconscious and we’ll keep him here tonight for observation, but if he continues to improve we’ll move him to a room. Do you want to see him, or wait until tomorrow?”

“I’ll come back tomorrow.”

The doctor nodded and left. Jim moved slowly out of the hospital and walked to his motel as had become a habit. He’d have to let the others know the good news, and then wonder about what he was going to do if Blair came to.

Jim sat on the edge of his bed with a bottle of beer in his hand. He could not stop thinking about everything that had happened over the past few years. His mind kept going to Dan Halket’s words to him after Natalie’s trial. Of how he should forgive Blair, that he was being used by an expert at using people. He had heard that Halket was staunchly against homosexuality, and yet the man had told Jim that Blair had betrayed someone he loved, and had to know that the person Blair admitted to loving was Jim. 

Jim thought of what things had been like for him over the years Blair was in prison. The worst he had had were whispered comments behind his back, jokes about who he trusted. He got to keep his job, his home, his life. He was free to do as he liked, and he did. But Blair had gone to prison as a convicted murderer. He had been beaten and raped. He had spent a lot of time in solitary because he had worked with the police. And even when he was found to be not guilty, the stigma of being an ex-convict stayed with him, he had no job, no home, and not much of a life. And all Jim could think about was the fact that Blair had used his knowledge of police procedures against him. After all, there was never any guarantee that Jim would wind up with the case. It should have been a homicide case, not a Major Crimes case. It only fell to them because Halket insisted on the best. And if it weren’t for Blair’s hair at the scene, he might have gotten away with it, except that Natalie wanted him to take the fall for it all along. If Jim had not been given the case, Blair would have been on the receiving end of Jim’s anger in perhaps a different way, for being stupid enough to have let her do that to him. Would Jim have seen the case differently then? 

He finished off the bottle and sat it beside the other empty on the bedside table. Then turned himself and lay on the bed, a hand over his eyes. Blair was out of danger now; he didn’t need to stay there. He could go home, let Blair get on with…drifting. He could go home and… What was he doing? He did his job, went home and did…what? Nothing. There was no one in his life except the people at work. They tried to get him to do other things, but he was never interested. The loft was an empty place. Did he really want it to remain an empty place? An empty life.

He must have fallen asleep sometime, because he awoke to light seeping though the thin drapes. As he moved he knocked the bottles onto the floor and moved his long legs over so that he could sit at the edge of the bed. He rubbed his hand over his face, realizing that he must have drunk more than he thought. He had not felt like this in a long time. He quickly stripped off and moved into the shower. He was glad his senses did not work properly anymore, because that very shower would have driven him insane with its constant drip, drip, drip. 

He didn’t take long to wash, and was soon out of the shower and into some clean clothes. He’d have to find a laundry if he wanted clean clothes for the next day. He put those clothes into a pile deciding to deal with them later. He picked up the bottles and dumped them into the wastebasket. 

The coolness of the air hit him hard as soon as he left the room. He knew he would feel better by the time he had walked to the hospital. As he entered the hospital he was waved at, smiled at, and said hi to on his way to the ICU. There he was again greeted by familiar faces, but they seemed a little sad, but it was because Blair had been moved before Jim got there, to a room where they directed him. 

He found the room, and walked in to see Blair was still out of it, though not in a coma. He looked so small in the bed, his head bandaged, all the tubes and things gone, though he was still connected to a heart monitor, it was silently working. Jim noticed that Blair was a lot thinner than he had last seen him. He remembered Simon saying he looked like a skeleton when he was in prison. Jim took the seat beside the bed and just looked at him, some of his old memories of the case in that prison playing in his mind, of what went on after lights out and did not include the fights.

He was brought out of his thoughts when a nurse came in to check on Blair. She smiled at Jim, did her work and left. Jim got up around noon to get some food. He sat in the cafeteria staring out the window. It had begun to rain, everything was grey and boring, he really wanted to get home and go back to work. 

He started back to the room, the nurse he had seen earlier was at the nurses station saw him coming, she stopped him. “Your friend is starting to show signs of coming around.”

He nodded and continued on to the room. He hesitated at the door. What was he going to do if Blair woke up? He sat down and waited. Sure enough he could see the body on the bed begin to make little movements. And then the eyes began to open. Jim moved closer standing over him so that he could see. But the eyes fluttered and closed again. Jim sat down again; this happened a few more times. The nurses said it was okay, that he’d go through this, then he’d come around. 

Jim sat and watched and waited. At one point he stepped out to answer a call on his cell. It was Simon, checking up on them to see if anything had changed. Jim brought him up to speed.

“You all right Jim? You sound a little… I don’t know.”

Jim ran a hand through his thinning hair. “I don’t know Simon. I keep asking if this is a good idea. Should I be here?”

“Are you still being caught up in all that betrayal shit? Come on Jim, he’s been to prison. He’s paid more than he should have. He didn’t have to carry your name around with him even of it was impossible to find that mother of his most of the time. I hear she never came to see him in prison, nor did she make any kind of contact with him. He never received letters and the only phone calls he had, well we know about them. He did it hard in their Jim, and his only real crime was the one he did to us. We all do something stupid in our lives Jim. That was his. Do you really want to walk away now we’ve found him? If we leave him there how much longer will he live the way he is in a world where nobody cares…? If you want I can come out there—“

Jim turned around, pacing. “No, no. I’ll see this through.”

“Jim, you’re a cop. Forget the crime and remember your friend. He could have died alone and we could never have known. Give him a chance and forgive him, because he needs that. He probably hasn’t forgiven himself.”

The call ended and Jim went back to the room. Blair was laying there his eyes open and staring at the ceiling. Jim took a deep breath and approached the bed, closer than before, looking down into those… eyes. He’d forgotten how long it had been since he had gazed into those eyes. There were many more lines beneath them than had been there before. The bandages came down over his forehead.

“Blair,” he said. There was no reaction. He tried again, a couple of times, but still there was no reaction. He moved away and eventually sat down to wait.

It was time to leave, Blair’s eyes had closed and he was asleep again. Jim went back to his hotel; he still had some laundry to do.

He found a launderette and sat down to wait for his washing to be finished. He sat looking out the window, passing traffic, passing people. At least the rain had let up, across the street he watched a couple stop. The girl seemed to be crying as the guy cupped her face, he was being very gentle with her, but she seemed to cry even harder lifting her hands up to wipe the tears away.

And then it happened, Jim’s hearing concentrated on them, and he could hear what they were saying.

“Leave me Chris, I tried, I really trip to kick it, but I can’t stop. Let me go, how can you love a junkie?”

He lifted her face again, “I’ve always loved you Jan, I’ve always been there to help you, but you’ve been avoiding me. Did you think I wouldn’t help you? I’ve said over and over again that I would do anything. Even when you slept with that dealer, and you got involved with that break in, I still didn’t give up on you. Look, I’ve found a place that can help you. I’ll stay and help you. Jan I love you. I’ve loved you all along…”

Jim’s hearing was sent off by the blast of a car horn. When he looked back the pair was walking away. Damn, once again his senses had kicked in when he was not expecting them to. He gathered up his laundry which had finished drying and headed back to his hotel.

He didn’t drink that night. He lay down in the bed, his mind playing over what he heard from the couple. And that song came back to haunt him, into sleep.

He walked into the ward the next morning, that nurse was there to smile at him, “He’s awake, and aware. The doctor has examined him already; he doesn’t believe that there has been any brain damage. But he has no memory of the accident. The only words we got out of him were, ‘Infirmary again’.”

Did Blair think he was in the prison infirmary? 

On his walk into the room, he felt like he was moving so slowly, yet he knew he was walking at his normal pace. He stopped at the door and looked in. Blair was laying there with his eyes staring at the ceiling. Jim walked in and approached the bed. Only when he got close did Blair’s eyes move to see who it was. He blinked a few times, closed them, then looked again.

“I must have done something really wrong for you to be here.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because… because you wouldn’t come just to see me.”

“Do you know where you are?”

“Starkville.”

“No, you haven’t been there for over a year. You were released when they caught Natalie. You’re in Raleigh hospital, lucky to have survived a car accident.”

Blair was silent for a while. “Still doesn’t explain why you came here.”

“You had my name in your wallet, little else.”

“Oh.”

“You’ve been living the life of a drifter since you got out of prison. You didn’t return to Cascade and until this happened, no one knew where you were. You’re lucky you didn’t break anything besides your head, so you’ll be able to get out of here soon. Look I promised I’d let Simon and the others know when you came out of the coma. I’ll be back.” Jim got up and left him.

Blair lay there trying to make sense of that Jim had told him. Flashes of trying to get a job without success, sleeping in cardboard boxes, surviving on handouts and soup kitchens went through his mind. And Jim was there. Jim, the man he had betrayed. The man he had loved…

Jim came back into the room. “They’re all really glad to hear that you will be all right,” said Jim. “Even Megan.”

“Megan?”

“My partner. She’s from Australia. She helped to get Natalie.”

“She sounds like she’s been good for you Jim.”

“She’s only here for an exchange program, so when she goes…” Jim wasn’t looking at him as he sat down in the seat beside the bed. “I haven’t had my… gift… since you’ve been gone, well that’s not completely true. It acts up on occasions. In fact I heard Natalie make a call that helped us to clear you.”

Blair tried to lift his head from the bed, “You did?”

Jim nodded. “I need to ask you something.”

Blair waited for him to go on, but Jim said nothing. “Jim?”

Jim sighed heavily. “Halket said you told him that you betrayed someone you loved. I thought you were straight, what does it mean?”

“Me straight? I suppose I was up until I met… you.”

Jim laughed a short laugh remembering his dream. “Then why did you jeopardize everything by helping your ex-girlfriend cover up a crime?”

“She was very good at manipulation Jim. I thought she was scared of Halket, Dan Halket I mean. Look I know I was a complete idiot, that I stuffed up everything between us by doing what I did. But it was a spur of the moment thing. I didn’t think… I just didn’t think of the consequences. But I’ve paid for it, paid more than I ever thought I would for doing something as stupid as I did.” He closed his eyes and a few tears were leaking out and down the side of his face. “If I could start that day again…” Then he felt a hand wipe away a tear and his eyes shot open. 

“I wish you had never met her, because she took you away from me, made me believe that you could kill, made me hate you… I tried to find you when you were freed, but I couldn’t. You knew how to hide from me. I wanted to tell you that I forgave you.”

Blair gasped for air as the tears came a little harder.

“You made me question myself on a lot of things when I met you. And one of those questions was about my own sexuality. You see before you went and fucked things up, I was sure that I was in love with you.”

“And… and… now?” hiccupped Blair.

Jim turned away again and was looking at the floor, “Everyone would like you to come home… I’d like for you to come home.” He turned back and wiped away the tears on Blair’s face. “Will you come home… with me?”

Blair lifted his hand to touch Jim’s face, “I don’t think I could afford the rent.”

Jim laughed and touched the hand touching him. “Who said anything about rent? Besides, now I know how well you can clean up, I’ll be keeping you to that.”

Blair laughed then over his tears. He had to believe that Jim meant it if he could joke about what he had done wrong. He nodded because for once he could not find the words.

\---------------------------------------------------

Jim pulled up outside his apartment and quickly got out of the truck. He hurried over to the other door and opened it, helping Blair out carefully. He had been released from the hospital only two days now, and they had flown home as soon as they could. They made their way upstairs, Jim carrying the bag with their things, not that Blair had much. Jim had to buy clothes for Blair to get home in. 

Jim quickly rushed them upstairs, it was cold and he wanted to get inside. He was only partly surprised when the door opened before him and he was looking into Simon’s smiling face. Jim moved in and got Blair situated on the couch before noticing that there were others there as well. 

Blair was looking a little pale as he looked around at all the faces, all Jim’s office friends. He had felt them as friends before… He was unsure how to react around them now. And there was that enclosed feeling that was rising in him, scaring him.

Jim was beside him in a wink, “Blair. You’re looking a little pale, are you sure you are all right?”

“It’s just… I’m not used to being… surrounded like this.”

Jim smiled, “Now that’s one feeling I can relate too. Why don’t you take some guide advice from me, and take a few deep breaths. Close your eyes, center yourself.”

Blair’s mouth fell open and he looked at Jim with wide eyes.

“Hey, I heard it enough from you.” There was a knock at the door and Jim got up, “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder and he jumped turning to see who had a hold of him. Rafe seemed to pale and lift his hand off quickly. “Oh sorry Blair, I didn’t mean to… I mean I… sorry.”

Blair nodded, trying to sort his breath. Then Jim was there again. “Rafe, what did you do his heart is racing.”

“What?” said Rafe.

“Jim,” Blair was looking up at him, “You can hear that?”

Jim was staring at him. He had told Blair about his senses leaving him, only turning up in the oddest times. But this time was different. He stood straight, as if he was checking himself out. And yes, he could hear Blair’s heart, still racing a little, and the fear in his eyes that he had a moment ago was replaced with… that spark he had seen years ago. Jim smiled at him and nodded. At that moment the person he had just let in the door came over to them.

She stood with her hand held out to Blair. “So you’re Jim’s partner.”

“Ex-partner,” corrected Blair as he took her hand and was given a strong handshake.

“I’m Megan; I’ve been tagging along with him.” Blair smiled, he liked her right off. “Oh no, you’re his partner all right. I’ve just been standing beside him until he found you again.”

“Jim said you helped catch Natalie,” Blair was still holding her hand.

“A right bitch that one. Deserves everything she gets,” Megan retrieved her hand noting that Jim had his eye on them. “You didn’t have to go to such extreme lengths to get him to notice you again.” He laughed when she saw his face. “He never dated anyone while I was working with him,” she whispered. Then she looked sidelong at Jim, he didn’t seem pleased and she was wondering if he had heard her. “Is there anything I can get you?”

“No, I… I’m okay, thanks.”

She smiled and pulled away moving over to join the others. Jim sat back down beside him.

“So she’s been your partner. I like her. Is it true what she said?”

Jim did that straight mouth smile of his.

“So how many of them know?”

“Simon figured it out, and Megan, well…”

Blair smiled.

“I’ll see if they can shift this little party elsewhere, you need to rest.”

Blair could only nod, he was tired. But it was good to be… home.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Blair made himself comfortable on the couch; they had just returned form a visit to his doctor. He had the all clear with this visit. The only thing the doctor wanted to see was a weight gain, and Jim hoped he could provide that with his home cooking. He had been home a month now, letting Jim take care of him

Now of course he was fine and he could take care of himself. Jim had been wonderful, but there was still something between them, something unresolved.

“Hey Chief, you okay?” asked Jim seeing him looking down as he sat there.

“Yeah, I was just thinking that maybe I should…” he trailed off. Not looking at Jim.

“So what, you get the all clear and now you think you should be moving out? I thought we had cleared this all up Blair.”

“I can’t keep sponging off of you Jim. But I—“

Jim had sat down beside him and stopped any further words by covering his mouth with his own.

“You think I’m going to let you go now?” said Jim as he pulled back. “I meant what I said, Blair, or didn’t you believe me?”

“About forgiving me?”

“About loving you. Or have you decided to give up on that?”

“I don’t want to Jim, but I can’t sit around here doing nothing while you go back to work.”

“Whoever said you would be? Though I think you have been neglecting your powers of observation lately.”

“I have?”

“Yes? Jim leaned in and kissed him again. “Otherwise you would have noticed that I’ve been able to tell when you needed a little more tender loving care than usual.”

Blair’s eyes widened. He hadn’t noticed. He hadn’t seen a thing.

“So I think you have a job here with me, don’t you think? And maybe, if you joined me in my bed, you might notice it a bit better.”

“Is that a proposition?”

“If I’m not getting rusty, yeah, I think so.”

“Then I say you’re thinking too much,” this time Blair pulled Jim’s face to his and kissed him back.

They continued to kiss each other their hands moving over each other’s bodies.

“Can we take this upstairs?” asked Jim.

“Are you sure, Jim?”

“I’ve dreamed of making love to you.”

“You have? Really?”

Jim got to his feet, turned then lifted the younger man into his arms bridal style. “Really.” He carried Blair up the stairs to his bed and laid him on it. “And I have to ask you. Are you sure you want this?”

“Oh yeah.”

Jim smiled but made no move, instead he slowly began to strip off his clothes, his eyes on his soon to be lover. He slowly peeled his shirt off, after teasing him with the opening of his buttons, one by one. He let it fall to the floor, then his hands moved to his belt, unbuckling it, unbuttoning his jeans, and then slowly easing down the zipper. He moved his hands to his hips, then began sliding the jeans down his long legs. He lifted first one leg out of them, then the other. Blair’s eyes could not help but fall on the blue briefs Jim had on. He was used to seeing Jim in boxers. But these were brief and showing that they were tight owing to the tent in them. Jim leaned down to peel off his socks. He stood there with his hands on his hips. He noticed Blair’s eyes.

“Something wrong?”

“Don’t you usually wear boxers?”

“Not today, and I’m very glad you noticed.”

“I have seen you naked before.”

“I know, but you’ve never seen me like this,” said Jim grasping the briefs and tugging them down until they fell on their own, freeing the erection they hid.

Blair smiled, “No, can’t say I’ve seen that before. Is it for me?”

“Only if you want it.”

Blair grinned further.

“I gather from the rise in your temperature, and the accelerated beat of your heart that I’m right?”

Blair’s hands were reaching for his own pants, but Jim moved quickly sliding onto the bed and slapping the hands away. “Oh no. I’m doing the unwrapping today. You just lay back and enjoy.” He was straddling Blair’s body, and sat on his thighs as he reached down for buttons on Blair’s shirt. Again he undid them one at a time, carefully, teasingly. Pushing the sides of the shirt aside, he raised himself onto his knees and turned Blair onto his side as he slid the sleeve down and off, then let him back. He did the same on the other side, but also pushed the shirt away from underneath Blair. Once Blair was on his back, Jim leaned down and licked at one of the nipples that nestled in Blair’s hairy chest, even as he licked and sucked, his hands swirled in the soft hair on the opposite side, before moving his mouth over to the neglected nub. Blair moaned with the feel of Jim’s mouth on him and the touch of his hand, the hand was moving downwards, first ghosting over his groin, making him jump. Jim pulled back and grinned almost ferally, then went back to the nipple he was grazing on before the mouth moved up to the collarbone and then the neck, before attacking his mouth and forcing his tongue inside. The questing hand went back to the top of the jeans, Blair had managed to undo the button before Jim slapped him away, so the fingers caught on the top of the zipper and began to pull it down. But part of the way down he stopped, and the mouth left Blair’s mouth, Jim’s body slowly trailing down. Blair lifted his head and watched where Jim was going and once he saw he gasped. Jim opened his mouth and his teeth took the top of the zipper into his teeth and used them to pull the zipper all the way down. 

“Oh God, Jim,” moaned out Blair.

“Want to go to heaven do you?” smirked Jim and after pushing apart the two flaps of the unzippered jeans buried his face in Blair’s boxer covered groin.

Blair groaned again and his hands grasped the sheets as he felt Jim’s nose nudge along his hardening cock, up and down and up and down. Blair grasped the sheets tighter with each pass, becoming harder and harder, Jim pulled back again moved down pulling his jeans along as he did, he knelt at the end of the bed while Blair put his backside back down on the bed and lifted his legs to let Jim slide them all the way off and toss them onto the floor, along with his socks, then parting Blair’s legs slightly he dropped his face down and slid his cheeks along first one then the other calf of his leg. There was just a hint of stubble, but not an uncomfortable amount, and it felt nice skin on skin. Blair parted his legs further as Jim moved up more, nuzzling, and licking as he went until he got to the tented boxers. Again Jim gripped the top of them and pulled them down. Blair’s erection bounced up once freed from the cloth prison, Jim pulled the boxers down even faster and was soon facing it from between Blair’s widely parted legs. 

“Oh I really want to taste you,” said Jim as he slunk up closer to it. First of all he kissed it right on top.

Blair cried out, his hands stretching out stiffly as he let go of the sheets he had been clutching so tightly. Jim’s tongue swirled around the tip, savoring the taste of his lover. Blair was squirming now, he wanted to pump up into that wonderful cavern that was covering him, he wanted it to take him all into the heat and make him feel so much… more. Jim’s constantly moving tongue soon obliged him and he was being taken further into the delectable mouth of his Sentinel. Part of him wondered just how much Jim was tasting of him, whether or not he had dialed up a bit. He smiled to himself as he felt Jim add some suction into the pleasuring he was giving to Blair’s organ, disbelieving that his mind was back to analyzing his Sentinel’s powers again. Of course as soon as he was completely engulfed within Jim’s throat, all thoughts had flown out the window. Jim was sucking him and he was being driven further and further towards an inevitable climax. Jim’s hands had taken a grip on his hips to hold them still, because all he wanted to do was thrust deeper if he could. But the feeling of the throat around him, squeezing him was too much and he came with a cry, spurting inside and being drank down. Soon his softening cock was released and he lay there still and panting Jim was licking his lips, he looked very satisfied. And he wasn’t through yet. He began kissing up Blair’s body again, until he reached Blair’s mouth and leaned down to kiss. Blair could taste himself as their tongues met. While doing this Jim was fishing for something under one of his pillows. He found it and pulled back. Both saw what he was holding. Jim looked into Blair’s eyes; Blair nodded at the silent question.

Jim went back to kissing his lips and alternately his neck, collarbone and nipples, as his right hand slid down Blair’s body, making him shiver with the passing touch, so light. Blair felt Jim push his legs apart a little more to give him access between then. Jim stopped kissing him while he worked at the tube he had retrieved, squeezing some of its contents onto his fingers. Then he moved those fingers back between Blair’s legs and began circling the puckered hole. His mouth returned to what it was doing at the other end. Soon Blair was moaning into Jim’s mouth, a finger moving inside of him. A while later it was joined by another and Blair was back to squirming again, wanting…needing more. Jim added the third, stretching Blair to accommodate him. His own cock had gotten to the point of aching, but he was not about to rush this, not after all Blair had been through previously. Still he could not wait much longer. He removed his fingers from Blair’s body and heard him whimper with the loss. He smiled to himself as he put some more lubrication onto his fingers and carefully slicked it over his very sensitive cock. Blair had lifted himself up by bending his knees and planting his feet onto the bed. Jim raised himself up and helped Blair lift a little further as he lined himself up and guided himself to Blair’s opening. He got his hands into position as he began to gently push into Blair’s body. Blair tensed up a little at first, hissing with a touch of pain. But Jim was ready for him, controlling himself and his movements. Once Blair relaxed he began to slide in further, until he was fully sheathed. He lifted a hand and pushed some of the re-grown hair from Blair’s face, kissing him deeply before pulling back with all of his body, and then thrusting into Blair. He started out slow, but he could not stop himself from speeding up a little as he felt Blair going with him, reacting to him. Blair’s hands found Jim’s shoulders and he held on tightly as Jim moved inside of him, giving him what he wanted, what they both needed.

Blair was moaning constantly while Jim was grunting a little. It was not much later that he felt himself ready, his body was being squeezed from within and he felt a slash on his lower stomach from Blair’s second cumming. This pushed him over the edge, and he groaned out his own release, filling the body beneath him with his seed.

Later they lay together, Jim sliding a hand over the shoulder of the body draped over his own. It was good to have Blair home. It was good to have found his lover and know that he was loved back. As far as he was concerned, this was how it was going to be from now on. Because he was not about to let go of him again. And Blair would have no reason to ever look at another, because he had what he wanted, needed. They both did. There would be no need to start anything, or any day again.

But somewhere in the back of Jim’s mind he was wondering when Blair would ask him. Ask him what it was like to make love with his senses heightened.

THE END


End file.
